


Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

by elsmith



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:09:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26581180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsmith/pseuds/elsmith
Summary: Carol Lockwood asks Damon for help at the Mystic Falls Historical Society. He finds out that Joseph Salvatore was sneakier than he knew when Liz and Carol stumble on an old photograph.
Relationships: Damon Salvatore & Stefan Salvatore, Elizabeth Forbes & Damon Salvatore
Kudos: 33





	Pictures Worth A Thousand Words

Playing nice with the Founders’ Council was starting to get on his last nerve, but Damon knew he had to do it to keep himself and Stefan off their radar. That was the _only_ reason he agreed to meet with Carol Lockwood too damn early in the morning at Mystic Falls’ Historical Society. She wouldn’t even tell him what this meeting was about, although it probably wasn’t bad based on the excitement in her voice when she called.

“Oh thank _God_ ,” he muttered as he pulled up to the old brick building. Liz’s cruiser was parked outside, which meant he didn’t have to suffer through Carol’s flirting alone. He was used to women flirting with him, but Carol was particularly aggressive and he didn’t want to get on Mayor Lockwood’s bad side by sleeping with his wife. Not that he’d ever tell Saint Stefan that.

Liz and Carol were in a conference room that looked almost as old as him, carefully pulling items out of boxes and laying them on a large oak table in the center of the room.

“Morning, ladies,” he said, moving to look over Liz’s shoulder. “What do we have here?”

“Oh, Damon, I’m so glad you could make it,” Carol cooed, motioning for him to stand next to her. Damon tried valiantly to not roll his eyes and he nearly failed when he caught Liz’s expression, but he managed to keep the solicitous smile on his face as he joined Carol at her box.

“It’s my pleasure, Carol,” he purred. “So what is all this stuff? You didn’t mention why you needed me.”

“We just received some items belonging to the Founding Families back from the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg,” she said, pulling bubble wrap out of the box. “They were loaned over sixty years ago. I think a few things might belong to the Salvatores.”

Damon hadn’t known that. If he had, he would have destroyed anything before it could be seen or donated.

“Neat,” he muttered. He pulled the third box over so he could begin going through the items inside. They worked in silence, carefully removing items and sorting them on the table in sections labeled for each Founding Family.

Damon was perusing a letter written by a Fell to his sweetheart in Mystic Falls while he was stationed in Richmond when he heard Liz gasp. Looking away from the letter, he met Liz’s eyes next to him and registered as her shock faded into fear and anger. His eyes slid down to her hands and a surge of dread coiled in his gut.

Liz was holding a picture of him in his Confederate uniform, arm slung over Stefan’s shoulders as they smiled for the camera. Giuseppe Salvatore had been proud of his wealth and loved occasionally wasting money on things like photographs.

Carol gasped behind him as she saw the photo in Liz’s hands. He met Liz’s gaze again, holding steady contact as she processed what she was seeing and what it meant. Damon knew Liz wasn’t armed. He also knew that Liz and Carol regularly ingested vervain.

“You-” Liz trailed off.

He really couldn’t stop an eye roll this time. “Me,” he said with a smirk.

“You look good in uniform,” Carol blurted.

There was a pause before Damon burst into laughter. “Well thank you, Carol.” He eyed them for a second and then sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t suppose you’ll believe we’re historical reenactment enthusiasts?”

Liz’s expression hardened. “No. You’ve been one of them, this whole time.”

“Guilty,” he shrugged.

The fear finally broke through her shock and Carol made a break for the door; he tsk’d at her as sped over to block her escape.

“Come on, now,” he said, gripping her by the wrist. “Don’t leave. We need figure out what I’m going to do with you.” He sped over to Liz’s bag and grabbed her radio and was back to holding it and Carol’s wrist before either of them could blink. Liz squared her shoulders and glared at him as Carol whimpered.

“You can’t kill us,” Liz said fiercely.

Damon’s eyes narrowed. “I think you’ll find that I can,” he said before softening his expression. “But that doesn’t mean I want to.”

Both women looked at him in shock.

“You’re my friends,” he said quietly.

“Friends?” Liz scoffed. “You’ve been lying to us since we met, murdering townspeople and who knows what else!”

He really wished that didn’t hurt. Damon wasn’t sure when he’d turned his emotions back on, but this moment made it really clear that he had. “I haven’t killed anyone in months, and yes, I _know_ that doesn’t make it okay, but I really have been trying to help.” He really had; the vampires released from the tomb weren’t just a problem for the humans, not to mention that John Gilbert dick. “Mystic Falls is my home too.”

“So you and Stefan are the original Salvatore brothers?” Carol asked. She was clearly trying to sound brave and she _almost_ managed it.

“Yes.”

“The council records said that you were both civilian casualties of the church fire.”

Damon laughed mirthlessly. “A favor from Jonathan Gilbert to our dear father.”

He could tell both women were interested in hearing more and he decided to indulge them so he could have more time to figure out what the hell he was going to do. He released Carol’s wrist and crossed his arms.

“We were told of the plot to capture the vampires so that we could help, except we were both in love with one of them. We tried to help her escape and Father shot us. He couldn’t stand the idea of people knowing about his shameful, traitorous sons, so he asked Gilbert to lie.”

“He killed you?” Liz said, and he could almost see some of the ice melting around her heart. “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah, well, can’t say it was a shock,” he scoffed. “He always hated me anyway. I’m surprised he shot Stefan, though.”

“The woman – vampire – you loved, she turned you?” Carol asked.

“She had been feeding us her blood for weeks,” Damon said. “And the truth is there were no civilian casualties of the fire. That was spread so that no one would know the real reason the church was burned.”

“And you and Stefan loved the same woman,” Liz noted. “That makes sense.”

Damon cocked an eyebrow.

“The way you both interact with each other, and with Elena,” she added. Damon couldn’t stop a chuckle at that. If only she knew.

“Turns out it’s easy to hold a grudge when you live forever,” he said.

The conversation died and silence fell over them. Damon still didn’t know what he was going to do. He actually didn’t want to kill either woman, but he couldn’t let them go either. He’d have to try and lock them in the cellar at the boarding house somehow. 

Except…some part of him really wanted to convince them that he was good; wanted them to accept him, fangs and all. Ugh, he might as well wear silk and mope over a blonde.

“Stefan is on an all-animal diet, you know,” he said. Maybe they could accept Stefan and his bunny diet, at least. “No eating people for him.”

Carol looked surprised. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

He almost tells her that it is but it makes the vampire weaker, except he can’t give them that kind of information. Well, he _can_ , he just shouldn’t. He settled on a nod instead.

“And you?” Liz asked sharply.

“Vampires can feed without killing,” he said, maybe a bit too defensive. “And it’s not hard to compel some blood bags from the hospital.” Damon already mentioned earlier that he had killed before and he wasn’t going to bring it up again. Anyway, the truth was that he _hadn’t_ killed anyone in months.

“How do you walk in the daylight?” she tossed out, brow raised challengingly.

Damon squints at her. “Now why would I tell you that?”

“I don’t know, it seems like you’re trying to convince me of something here,” Liz shot back.

“Maybe I am, is it working?”

She pursed her lips and didn’t answer.

“Fine. Here’s what’s going to happen. I will escort you lovely ladies to the boarding house, where you will be my guests for the next three days while the vervain leaves your systems. Then I’ll compel you to forget all this and we’ll be right as rain,” Damon said, clapping his hands once and motioning to the door.

“And if we don’t agree?” Carol ventured. He had to hand it to her, she had her braver moments.

“Well, I can’t have you remembering the truth about me and Stefan, so ladies’ choice: vervain detox or I can snap your necks,” he offered, voice annoyingly chipper. 

Damon had always been a decisive person – some would say impulsive – but he was really struggling to do what he needed to here. Thankfully, Stefan’s impeccable timing managed to save him from his indecision as the younger vampire came through the conference room door.

“Damon, I saw your car,” he said. “I needed to ask you something about…” he trailed off as he noticed Liz and Carol. “Hello Sheriff, Mrs. Lockwood,” he nodded politely at them. Maybe Stefan’s sickeningly sweet manners would convince the two women where Damon couldn’t.

“Impeccable timing, little brother,” Damon said. “We need your help. See, Liz here found an _old_ photograph of us and now we need to find a solution to this little problem.” Just to be a dick he did the “eye thing” he insisted Elena was making up.

Stefan’s magnificent forehead creased into Brooding Position #3 as Damon’s comment sunk in and he realized the tense situation he’d walked into.

He set his jaw and turned a glare towards his brother. “Damon, you can’t kill them.”

“I’m so glad you’re willing to think the best of me, _Stefan_ ,” he snarked. “Of course we’re not killing them, but forcible detox is easier with extra hands.” 

“Oh. Right,” Stefan blinked.

“Speaking of fixing problems,” Damon attempted a casual tone. “How exactly did a picture of us get donated to a Civil War museum? I thought we agreed to be _extra careful_ about that kind of thing.” He hands Stefan the picture in question, knowing he’d ask to see it eventually.

Damon couldn’t figure out Stefan’s expression as he looked at the old photograph. He would be tempted to call it sad, or even longing, but that didn’t seem likely.

“So?” Damon prompted when it became obvious Stefan wasn’t going to answer.

“Hmm? Oh, maybe Joseph?” he answered distractedly, not looking up from the picture.

“Yeah, that makes sense, he was a dick,” Damon shrugged. He wouldn’t put it past Joseph at all, actually. He had probably wanted to expose Damon and Stefan and figured donating old Civil War memorabilia was the safest way to accomplish it.

“What are you going to do with us?” Liz interrupted his musings. Damon heaved a sigh, glancing at Stefan before answering.

“We’ll have to lock you up for a few days so you can be compelled to forget, so start thinking of stories to explain where you’ve been,” he said, giving her a smile that was really more of a grimace.

Liz scowled at him, but Carol looked surprised at his answer. “You’re really not going to kill us?”

“I’m really not,” he confirmed. “Aside from the _huge_ pain in the ass covering up your murders would be,” he said, skillfully ignoring Stefan’s scoff, “I already told you; I don’t want to kill you.” Well, in for a penny. “Like I said. You’re my friends.”

Both women looked sufficiently shocked at that, and so did Stefan. His brother probably thought he wasn’t capable of having friends, let alone admit it. Hell, just a few months ago and Damon would’ve said the same.

“Come on, Stef, let’s get this over with.” He could hear the resignation in his own voice, and once again wondered when the hell he’d turned his emotions back on. Thinking on Stefan’s reaction to the old picture of the brothers, he had to wonder…maybe he did know. “And grab that picture. We can’t risk anyone else seeing it.”

If Stefan’s small, bittersweet smile as he pocketed the photo made some kind of emotion twinge in Damon’s chest, well. He’d take that to his grave. 

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/190279027@N05/50368190166/in/dateposted-public/)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little idea I had floating around. Not my best work, but I'm glad I finally got it written down. I hope you enjoyed!


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